House Update!

OK! It's a done deal! Finally! Or so it seems at this writing. The closing was pushed back again and again and, yet again! The latest word is that it will now take place on 4 November 1999! The plan is to drive to Johnson City, NY, on the Monday after Halloween and stay at daughter Heidi's for a couple of days. I will use that time to get the phone hooked up, the electricity account switched to my name, heating oil account set up, and establish a local ISP account. You know, all the usual stuff one needs to take care of when moving to a new area.

And yes, I need to register Willy into the local school system; he will be joining me about two weeks later! Since jock Armin MUST stay at Leominster High, his mother will rent a small, cheap, apartment to maintain the required Leominster residency.

Armin's Leominster High School Blue Devils trading card

Meanwhile, Willy, the Siamese Skaba, and I will enjoy our newly found QUIET residence!

And what of Kimmie, Armin's "attack parakeet"? She had been with us for over five and a half years and lived a good, basically free, life! She had four external perches on her cage and usually only went inside it to eat and drink. The rest of the time she interacted with us and flew everywhere! Whenever I wasn't home, I would leave a good classical CD playing so she would have inspiring aural stimulation. Two months ago, she began to change her behaviour patterns and spent much time in her cage, apparently moping. I prepared the boys for what I knew was not far off. On 2 October, I found her still.

I still miss her a lot. Her cage is still up and when I enter the room at night, I always inadvertently check to make sure I'm not disturbing her!

No, not that way! Mentally she is as sharp as ever! No, we almost lost my darling ex-wife in an extremely serious motor vehicle accident in mid-September! Her car was totalled when she was hit in the side by someone not minding a stop sign, only a few blocks from her home. She was extracted with the Jaws of Life and spent a long time in the ICU with ALL her ribs broken on one side, a broken pelvis (in three places!) and a broken femur!

She is home now and drags herself around with a walker whilst she continues to recuperate.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to Bill & Kathleen Stuck in Kansas, Barry & Kimberly Keidel in Ohio, John & Donna Martin in Pennsylvania, Bob & Kathryn Keidel (he married her on her birthday!) in Florida, and Jim and Suzanne Hay in California.